| Fogging machine for Akawini– Rodrigues helps resolving issues
Georgetown, GINA, August 13, 2005
Residents of Akawini, Pomeroon, Region Two will soon benefit from the reduction of acoushi ants with a fogging machine made available by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Minister Carolyn Rodrigues visited the community recently, where a number of concerns were raised. One of them was the need for assistance in ridding farms of the leaf-cutting ant.
The Minister instructed the Village Council to uplift a fogging machine that is available at Charity.
Residents raised a number of other concerns including those affecting the health care and education systems.
One resident pointed out that the school is not doing enough for the students and that there were some problems with exercise books. The headteacher attested to this saying that while the school has text-books for two terms it did not receive exercise books.
The headteacher complained too, of poor attendance and late enrolment. To this end, Minister Rodrigues encouraged parents to ensure that their children attend school.
“You might tell me things are hard but when you decide to bring a child into this world you have to be responsible,” she told residents.
She pointed to the scheme that her Ministry has under the scholarship programme for hinterland students who attain 475 marks and above at the Secondary Schools Entrance Examination (SSEE). She noted that this year saw the highest intake of students to the programme as “students really did well.”
She encouraged parents to take advantage of the programme to send their youths to technical institutions such as the Guyana Technical Institute, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre and the Carnegie School of Home Economics. Hinterland scholarships are also provided for courses at these institutions.
Minister Rodrigues also made suggestions for the Village Council to assist pensioners and public assistance beneficiaries. Instead of them having to leave their homes on a monthly basis, the village will assist them by paying them every other month from the village’s fund and the village will collect their pension and public assistance and refund the council’s fund.
Meanwhile, following concerns about the absence of a qualified mid wife since the previous one has reached retirement age, the Minister has arranged for her to be re-employed and temporarily paid by the village.
The retired midwife, Lucia Oditt, said she enjoyed serving her community and looks forward to continue doing so.
“I never expected such a thing,” she said, in relation to her re-employment.
Residents lauded the Minister’s visit and intervention as well as her support to the community.
“We really appreciate the way she came. I am really, really proud to know that the few things we asked for she promised to look into,” Rudolph Wilson said.
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Cricket World Cup stadium taking shape
Georgetown, GINA, August 13, 2005
Pile-driving and foundation-laying for two main buildings of the Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 Stadium, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, have been completed and two pile-driving rigs are working continuously to finish the entire exercise within the next few weeks.
Over 50 concrete piles out of a total of 664 have already been positioned and the construction of the pitch and field is scheduled for completion by year-end, according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Karan Singh.
Plans for other aspects of the stadium are well on track as other areas including the pitch and field which is being constructed by Golden Star Resources, are currently ongoing. The company is also working on the construction of a third access road to the stadium.
TERAFORMA, a company in Trinidad and Tobago is responsible for the final touches to the pitch and field to meet the requirements of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and
CWC 2007. When it is completed, a number of cricket matches will be played to test the durability and quality of the pitch.
Singh indicated that a consultant from a St. Lucian company has been recruited to ensure the construction of the stadium meets all requirements of international standards. Government is also in the process of contracting a local company equipped to oversee the construction by the Indian Firm, Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited, to ensure construction is carried out according to international standards.
The CEO said, because of the recent rainfall, the contractors are less than two weeks behind schedule. However, with the pace at which the contractors are working, they will meet the 2006 October deadline.
Meanwhile, the various sub-committees of the LOC are busily working to establish their roles and put in place the necessary preparatory work, to make the staging of the international event a success. These sub-committees include: accommodation and hospitality, public relations and marketing, local government and civil society, transportation and communication, security and health and emergency services.
He said that they are responsible for the overall planning, execution and preparations governing specific areas in their sectors. To ensure every feature of the event is efficiently coordinated, the sub-committees are required to have more than 2000 trained volunteers.
With respect to the problematic air services in countries and Jamaica, due mainly to their geographic location, Singh stated that this matter will be addressed at the Regional level.
He said that the LOC is required to attend a number of meetings in the nine host countries for CWC 2007 to find solutions to any difficulties facing any host countries. Even though they are individual host countries, they are working as a unit, he explained.
It is the first time that CWC will be hosted in the Caribbean by nine different countries.
The LOC is in the process of relocating its headquarters due to the inadequacy of the current accommodation. It is also in the process of recruiting additional staff to manage the various sectors that will oversee the smooth hosting of CWC 2007.
On September 24, a mini-match fixture for CWC 2007 will be held, and the host countries will stage road shows on October 5.
Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited were awarded the US$25M contract for the construction of the stadium.
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Sophia/Cummings Lodge to be ‘transformed’ within weeks
Georgetown , GINA August 13, 2005
Sophia, Greater Georgetown, and Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara housing schemes will be totally transformed, when the Unserved Areas Electrification Programme (UAEP) sparks off within weeks. Earlier this year, President Bharrat Jagdeo promised residents of the schemes that they would be getting electricity.
 Prime Minister Samuel Hinds today visited the two housing areas and urged the residents to make their contribution of $10,000, to hasten the electrification process. Government is subsidizing some $60,000 of the estimated $70,000 that is required to electrify a single home.
In February this year, Prime Minister Hinds, Coordinator of the Sophia Development Programme, Philomena Sahoye-Shury and representatives of Guyana Power and Light (GPL) visited Sophia, one of the primary beneficiaries, to officially launch the programme.
The planting of electricity poles has already started in the Cummings Lodge housing scheme.
While inspecting the progress of the massive project being executed in the areas by GPL, Prime Minister Hinds expressed his satisfaction with the pace of the work.
The UAEP is being carried out simultaneously with massive road construction works in the area. This is in keeping with Government’s commitment to the development of various communities countrywide.
The Prime Minister called on the electrical contractors to work in synchrony with the road works contractors to avert any possible clashes. In some cases, roadworks have been done, and holes have been dug to facilitate the planting of electrical poles.
Chief Operations Manager of GPL, Bharrat Dindyal said they are encountering difficulties aligning the poles because some persons using ‘self-help’, constructed water lines, some of which are slightly bent.
The primary phase of the work which includes the planting of poles and connection of primary cables is in progress and following payment and certification, individual connection will commence.
Residents noted that the infrastructural works are highly appreciated and will significantly impact on their livelihood.
One grocery proprietor noted that he “would now be able to sell cold drinks”, since he would have access to electricity.
Others said that the weather would no longer be a deterrent for their children to go to school, now that the road works have come on stream.
The electricity supply will be ongoing, depending on the rate of applicants while the road works are scheduled for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2006.
 The programme targets thousands of residents in areas across the country. Sophia Housing Scheme, Cummings Lodge and Cummings Park were identified as primary beneficiaries under UAEP on the basis of being rated among the largest and oldest housing areas.
Through the initiation of the electrification programme in the area, approximately 6000 households will benefit.
The UAEP is being executed at a cost of over US$34M and targets approximately 50,000 households in housing areas countrywide.
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